IMRS: Story of Eight
by TheDivingTiger
Summary: The eight friends of Teams RWBY and JNPR were all enjoying a happy morning together, at least until the inexplicable happened. They now find themselves separated, each in their own strange world. Not only are they faced with many dangers, but also the question of what...or who...took them away. Will they be able to return to each other and, more importantly, return to Remnant?
1. Prologue

**Hello! This is my first try at a fic here! I also intend for this to be the first fic of what will (hopefully) be a series. Constructive critique is definitely welcome, and I hope you'll enjoy! Rated T for violence, language, and non-sexual nudity.**

**Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. I do not claim ownership to any of its content or characters.**

* * *

**Prologue**

The moon shone in the inky darkness of the late night sky. Only a few were beholding its serene countenance, as most of the city was fast asleep in that twilight hour. Among these few was a woman alone in an expansive, sumptuous bedroom lit only by several candles and the moonlight. The elaborate golden desk where the figure was seated stood beside a tall, open window that allowed the moon's glow to pour into the room. The woman, having just finished writing pristinely on a paper and delicately placing it into an envelope, was now at peace as she basked in the light and gazed up to the sky.

She knew this was her last chance to take in this sight alive.

The silk curtains beside the window swayed slowly as a chilling breeze crept into the room. There was a brief shakiness in the lonely occupant's voice as she let out a sigh, keeping her lavender eyes fixed on the tranquil scene outside the reinforced stronghold. She had decided to make the most of these final moments, knowing full well that there was no way to avoid what she expected would come through the door in little time.

As if on cue, knocking was heard from beyond the wooden entry. This wasn't it. It was nothing more than a couple of soft, courteous knocks. This was the one she had called for earlier.

"Come in," the woman said, her voice quiet.

She slowly rose from her seat at the desk and turned to see another woman, one marginally younger in age, step into the room. She wore the traditional black and white attire of a maid, and she appeared to be showing a great deal of restraint as she now stood before her superior. Her stained cheeks, glistening in the candlelight, revealed that she had been crying prior to her arrival.

"Thank you for seeing me one final time, Audra," the lady said to her greatly distressed attendant.

Quickly giving in to the urge she was struggling so hard against, Audra ran forward and held her mistress in a tight embrace. This was the first time the lady ever saw her break the calm, professional demeanor she always bore while carrying out her duties.

"I'm so sorry, milady!" she sobbed. "I… I…"

"Please, calm yourself," the woman spoke with sympathy and reassurance. "I insist."

Finally releasing the mistress from her arms, the maid took a couple steps back on the marble floor.

"Forgive me, milady," Audra said amidst her sniffling. "I just… I would do anything to help you escape all of this."

"I know you would. You've been the most loyal servant I ever could've hoped for, and I know you're especially scared for me now. I am scared too, but…"

The lady paused to blink away some forming tears before continuing.

"If there's one future I fear more than the one awaiting me now, it's a life of misery knowing I left them behind, within these walls. This is if I even manage to miraculously escape, and any less luck would bring you into danger that is meant for me alone."

"I understand, milady."

The two in the room wished they could share plenty more words with each other at the very least, but the painful reality wouldn't allow it. It truly saddened them that their years together would end in such a way as this. The time was growing short, so the lady turned to her desk, grabbed the sealed envelope, and extended it toward Audra.

"I do have one final task to assign to you as my maid. Please, take this letter. You know where to bring it, and please ensure it is found by someone you know both you and I can trust."

The attendant gave a single nod before gently taking the envelope. Her mistress had quivering lips as she looked down at the letter, then raised her eyes to the one she entrusted to fulfill her final request. It was her turn to nod her head once, and Audra knew now that the rest was up to her.

The maid bowed her head as a couple of drops fell to the marble from her closed eyes. She then hesitantly made her way to the door, but not before looking back at the lady while her hand rested on the doorknob.

"Farewell, milady."

The other tried her best to give a reassuring smile. "Farewell, Audra. Thank you… for everything."

Once Audra had left the bedroom with letter in hand, closing the door softly behind her, her mistress was alone once again. The woman slowly turned back to the open window, taking small comfort in the single breeze blowing by her. The moon still stood atop the night sky, and it did so for the next ten minutes.

The woman then heard the group of footsteps quickly advancing toward the room.

Illuminated in the moonlight, she stood her ground and closed her eyes expectantly. The door burst open from behind her, but she never turned to face those approaching. She instead awaited them with a calm, silent acceptance.

Her hope rested on what was enclosed within the envelope, and that it would be able to save Remnant.


	2. The Golden Glow of Danger

**Chapter 1: The Golden Glow of Danger**

This was the quietest the room had ever been. The enclosed space, now devoid of any audible sign of life, used to house talk about the day's work or the whistling of some random tune. Currently, however, a constant pattern of soft echoes was the only sound heard, created by the tedious downfall of water droplets. One of the several pipes above must have had a small leak, but that was the least of concerns in that moment.

The stress of the preparations, no matter how well it was hidden, was drastically building.

All of the planning and waiting brought with them this aura of anxiety, which had an evident impact on the four individuals in the compact, brick-walled room. Their silent presence in that moment was a clear sign of this unsettled emotion. The four grew more and more quiet with each passing day, still conversing amongst themselves occasionally but spending more time in mental rehearsal and their stirring thoughts… a great many about what could go wrong.

Leaning against one of the four, windowless sides of the room was a boy who looked to be around eighteen years of age. His cargo pants and boots were both jet black, and he wore a loose silver shirt with long sleeves. His black hair was long enough to cover his eyes as he stared at the grey floor with both hands in his pant pockets.

Not too far from him in the center of the room, a rather short girl was pacing back and forth across the floor. She looked younger but also wore boots, these ones being grey and nearly reaching her knees, and each of her steps hardly made a sound. The yellow vest she wore over a black tee accompanied the tight, tan-colored pants. Her maroon hair was arranged into a long ponytail that twirled loosely every time she changed direction.

Another boy, definitely the tallest of the four, sat on a rolling chair with all of his focus on the notebook in his right hand. His tan skin, left unconcealed for the most part by a white, sleeveless undershirt, seemed to reflect the light from the LED bulbs arrayed across the ceiling. He had a clean shave along the sides of his head, which gave way to a longer cut on the top that was lime green in color. Some surprisingly casual sneakers and olive green shorts, visibly worn and rolled almost halfway up his thighs, finished up the look.

The fourth teenager in the room was lying with her back on a steel table some distance away from the others, her legs from the knees down dangling over the edge. She was holding a polaroid photograph over her head and kept a fixated gaze upwards at it with unblinking, turquoise eyes. Her shoulder-length hair was spread over the table's surface, the strands all sand-colored at first but gradually changing to the same turquoise color at the ends. Her attire of shorts and a thin long-sleeved shirt, with her ankle-length boots as an exception, was predominantly blue.

"Hey, could you stop pacing like that?" the black-haired boy said to the preoccupied girl at the middle of the room, finally breaking the silence.

The young teen stopped in her tracks and immediately turned to face him with both fists clenched at her sides in a display of defensiveness rather than anger.

"You know I do this whenever I think a lot!" the girl countered without hesitation.

"Well, then think less."

Despite all of the uneasiness that constantly plagued his mind over the past few weeks, the teen couldn't help but let a faint grin appear on his face. His smaller but more lively friend always looked cute whenever she was agitated, and he often felt inclined to provoke her fits even further.

"Don't start bossing me around now!" the girl continued her spew of words. "I'm only one year younger than you… I'm not a kid!"

The 'bossy' one finally shifted his gaze upwards from the floor and brushed some of the hair aside from his face. His eyes, a fluid blend of grey and green, glistened brightly in the light.

"It's not that…" he started, "It's only your inability to remain still that's childlike. Seriously, I can't tell if it makes me more anxious or dizzy."

"This isn't the only time you treat me like a child! You're probably thinking way more than I am, anyway! Hmph!"

The girl turned away and crossed her arms in a small pout that any normal person would view as adorable. The grin on her friend's face, however, slowly faded away.

'_You're right… I am._'

"Tone it down, you two."

The boy moved his attention from the one who was busy mumbling incoherent words in a sulk to the teenage girl lying on the table. Her voice, which was nearly always heard as both calm and commanding, could just as well describe her personality. She was reserved and quiet; no matter the place or time, she composed herself like the oldest of the four, even though she was the same age as the boy staring at her. At the moment, she was still looking at the small photograph.

He knew that she may not have liked all the noise just then, but things had been too quiet lately. Sure, this silence was his own doing just as much as the others, but it would never be good to dwell on negativity… no matter how hard it was not to. One of the things that stuck with him was exactly how dangerous negativity could be. The four were also on break time, an hour where nobody was supposed to be troubled by the plan and its hastily approaching day of execution. It was nice to have a moment to escape the tiring routine of work and training, even if it was spent bickering.

The boy who was busy studying the notebook slowly looked up from the handwritten words. All of the background talking only posed as a minor distraction, but he didn't want to spend the entirety of this precious hour tasking himself with extra work and reading. Enough notes had been reviewed for the time being, so perhaps it was worthwhile to join in the rare chatter.

"Do you think they'll be ready?" he asked as he closed the notebook with a surprising gentleness considering his muscular build.

The other boy in the room slouched against the wall even further and let out a long sigh. It was easy to see that he didn't enjoy answering questions like that one.

'_Of course he had to bring us back to reality._'

"The real question isn't if they'll be ready for it…" the teen eventually replied with a hint of misgiving, "It's if they'll be ready for what comes afterwards."

A brief moment of silence followed that response. The quiet dripping of the water returned.

"Yeah, we've been putting a lot of focus into _our_ side of things…" the brunette girl said thoughtfully but without pacing.

"Are you sure you've done enough research?" the tall boy asked.

"Hey, don't start questioning me now!" his black-haired friend retorted. "Besides, you already know that research is my thing. Don't forget that's my notebook you're borrowing!"

"I've written on at least eighty pages, it's my notebook now."

"You selfish little…"

The one accused of being childlike earlier let out a quick, high-pitched laugh. She found it funny to see how the tables could turn so quickly; her friend could also behave like a snappy infant, one snappy enough to call someone substantially taller 'little'.

The girl on the table finally put the photograph into one of her short pockets. "If it makes you feel any better…" she chimed in quietly, "I believe you've prepared the best you could. We wouldn't be working as hard as we are now if we didn't have any confidence in the plan."

Once again, the slightest of smiles returned to the teenage boy's lips. He gave up on trying to resist his friends' teasing, and the words of reassurance did actually relieve his stress, although only by a tiny fraction. After all, this was what he was looking for… the group was appearing to sound more relaxed again. This was scarce enough as it was, and times like this were only going to become more infrequent.

The savoring of the moment was interrupted when the teen suddenly felt a series of vibrations in his pocket. The brunette and other boy were now conversing together, so they must have not heard the buzzing. As for the fourth member of the group… he could never tell with her. If she did notice, she wasn't paying any heed as the girl was still lying with her back on the table and a constant stare at the ceiling. After his quick looks at the other three, the black-haired boy pulled out his scroll and glanced over the screen.

The handheld communication device had a far more technologically complex look than the common design of other scrolls. Its build was sturdier, and the two halves that separated to reveal the screen appeared to have added, improvised parts screwed into place. The screen itself had far more features and was now making a quiet beeping noise. The message on this screen caused the reader's face to go nearly pale as he tried to contain his panic.

'_We can't let this happen… we need to take action. Quickly._'

"It's from Falcon."

The discussion between the shortest and tallest teens was immediately cut short as they looked at their friend with unexpected surprise. The other girl sat upright in a flash, her often-stoic expression cracked into one of alarm. Even though it felt like his mouth had instantly gone dry, the boy swallowed before continuing.

"It's bad news. Very bad news."

**BEACON ACADEMY**

The assassin was closing in on his wounded target. The bout between the two had actually lasted longer than anticipated, as the opponent was still able to put up a brief fight in a struggle to stay alive. Soon enough, however, it became evident as to whose skills were superior. Like a bird of prey, the assassin caught a gust of wind as he leaped toward his unprepared, still-recovering victim. He unleashed a light barrage of shurikens before landing lightly on his feet, swinging his katana upwards in a bright flash of light.

Unable to protect himself from both the projectiles and the glistening blade, the opponent collapsed to the ground with a spray of scarlet blood.

"_Striking Ninja wins! Total annihilation!_"

"YESSS!" Ruby Rose shouted in a gleeful triumph, raising her right fist into the air.

It was a rather lazy weekend morning for Team RWBY, four of Beacon's most talented and promising huntresses-in-training. This small break from the academic workload was pleasant for the girls, each of them choosing to spend it their own way. The friendly, bubbly team leader was obviously immersing herself deep in the world of 8-bit strategy and combat, leveling up as fast as she could before her fingers and brainpower would both eventually give out. Weiss Schnee, the sophisticated heiress and master of glyphs, was occupied at her desk with an open textbook and a full cup of steaming coffee. Blake Belladonna, the reticent faunus in a human guise, was sitting at the edge of her bed while gazing contemplatively out the dorm room window. The fourth member and confident powerhouse of the team, Yang Xiao Long was reclining beside Ruby on the floor but was distracted by a user's manual for motorbikes.

Ruby, seeing that none of her teammates had noticed her latest victory, frowned in both disappointment and annoyance.

"Hey, Yang!" the girl exclaimed, nudging her older sister with her elbow. "I just beat level thirty! It wasn't even hard at all!"

Yang kept her eyes on the article she was reading. "That's great, sis," she commented with a boastful smile. "Only twenty more until you're halfway from reaching my last save point!"

It was times like these where the black-and-red-haired girl felt like she truly was two years younger than the other three girls. Her perceived struggle to fit in with the rest of them, even as leader, was sometimes way tougher than it ought to be. She didn't know whether the girls around her were currently neglecting her because they found it amusing or they genuinely didn't care, but she did know one thing: this definitely wasn't how she was hoping to start the day.

"Can't I at least have _some_ appreciation?" an exasperated Ruby asked after placing her game controller down. "This is a worthwhile accomplishment!"

Weiss had just finished taking a polite sip from her favorite beverage before turning to face her teammate with a look of disapproval.

"I can't comprehend how you go straight from bed to that Ultimate Kung Fu Ninja Samurai Deadly Betrayal game of yours," she said. "It's neither healthy nor productive."

"It's Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Death Battle 2, thank you very much," Ruby corrected with her eyes closed, "And you won't know how much you can gain from this game if you won't even try the tutorial."

"Not much," Yang commented almost immediately. "Even a gaming pro like myself would rather spend the morning in the cafeteria with some breakfast… which is what I'd be doing right now if you hadn't asked us to stay here."

"It's for a very important reason! Please trust me!"

Yang's conversation with her little sister was interrupted when she heard a concealed yawn from the girl behind her. The blonde closed the manual and turned to recline on her other side, looking at her teammate with some concern.

"Are you alright, Blake?"

"I… I'm fine," the black-haired girl responded quietly.

"Were you able to get some sleep?"

"Yes…"

The two hours of sleep that Blake managed to fit in the previous night only arrived after an internal struggle… a struggle that ultimately left her more stressed and restless than before. Part of her wanted to remain focused on life as a Beacon student with the rest of her team, but there was a stronger, uncontrollable urge to dwell on recent events. It was only around a week ago when the teen had a run-in with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. She had gotten a new friend out of the experience, but she also got a new enemy… one she thought she had left behind years ago. To add onto that, Headmaster Ozpin's private meeting with her didn't make the girl feel any better about the whole thing.

"Just let us know if you ever need anything, Blake!" Ruby reassured with one of her signature, bright smiles before checking her scroll. "Oh, it's almost 9:30! The visitors will be here any second now!"

This must have been the reason behind the team leader's insistence for the other girls to stay in the room. Having finally heard this revelation, they did little to hide the surprise on their faces.

"_Visitors?_" Weiss said without any eagerness. "You never told us we were going to be hosts! We hardly look the part!"

The Schnee was right; the team noticed they were still clad in their pajamas, and their hair looked fresh out of bed. After tidying up their sleeping spaces, the four proceeded to change into their regular clothing and make their appearances more presentable. It definitely felt nice to not have to wear their school uniforms for the day. Yang then made her way to the room's window.

"It's actually kinda hot today," she observed, flipping the window's lock switch and pushing the glass pane up with no effort at all. "It'd be nice to let some fresh air in."

The others each voiced their agreement. The chirping of the morning birds and faint rustling of the trees as they swayed in the gentle breeze did provide a pleasant atmosphere, too. Only one more minute had passed when Team RWBY heard a small collection of voices approaching their door from outside, a singular, energetic one clearly speaking over the others. Soon enough, several thunderous knocks banged against the room door.

"How rude…" Weiss muttered as she walked to the door in a dignified manner.

Unnoticed by her teammates, Ruby was almost bouncing up and down from excitement. Weiss grabbed hold of the doorknob and began to slowly pull, but suddenly the door flung open with a power that no one… especially Weiss… expected. The heiress let out a small scream as she flew backwards, but luckily Yang stopped her from flying into the wall or, even worse, out the window.

"TEAM JNPR IS HERE!" Nora Valkyrie loudly announced with her hands on her hips and both boots planted firmly onto the floor.

"Sorry we're late!" Pyrrha Nikos added apologetically.

The four teens composing Team JNPR, probably Beacon's most strangely dynamic team but also one with impressive skill, stepped into the dorm room with the adventurous, orange-haired girl at the lead. Like Team RWBY, they were also wearing their normal attire. Even though the two teams were friends ever since the difficult-but-memorable initiation, it was very rare for them to meet in each other's dorm rooms like this. All the more reason why Ruby regarded this as a special occasion, and it only took one look at the guests to find out what exactly this occasion was.

"We brought everything you listed, Ruby!" Jaune Arc, JNPR's leader who still had much to learn about everything a huntsman should know, said happily, "And more!"

The blonde boy was holding a carton of milk in one hand, while the other arm was carrying two unopened boxes of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes. The others weren't sure exactly how much of the cereal was meant for himself.

"It was a struggle to keep Nora from eating the food before we got here," Lie Ren stated, "But we managed."

The meditative member of the team was carrying a large tray, on top of which was a stack of his renowned pancakes and some bottles of syrup and orange juice, plus a stick of butter. He was probably the only one capable of wielding such a large load while staying composed.

"Mind if we set the breakfast down here?" Pyrrha asked.

Even though she herself was very fit and well-built, the Invincible Girl was just as eager as her male teammates to rest her arms. Hanging from her forearm was a grocery bag with an assortment of various fruits, and each hand was holding large packets of serving-size yogurt cups.

The only thing Nora brought to the room was her rambunctious personality.

"Go ahead!" Ruby said, her eyes locked on the meal that the group of friends was about to enjoy. "Why don't we all get settled down here before we catch up with each other and stuff?"

Nobody opposed the idea, so the eight students all arranged themselves in a circle on the round rug in the middle of the dorm room. The tasty morning delicacies that Team JNPR provided were a welcome sight to everyone, even the current likes of Weiss and Blake. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, after all, and this wasn't exactly a bad get-together organized by RWBY's team leader. Ruby indeed always had a plan for pretty much anything, whether it was new team attack strategies or ways to spend a casual weekend morning.

The chatter began once everyone had served themselves from the options sitting at the center of the rug, passing them around when necessary. The sunlight and soft wind from the window seemed to add even more life to the light-hearted talk.

"And that's why we couldn't bring coffee…" Jaune said with a small chuckle, "Nora would down the whole supply within seconds!"

"Caffeine makes me stronger! What's the matter with that?"

Weiss couldn't help but join in the collected laughter. She was usually irritated by how often Jaune acted obnoxiously suave around her, but the boy was actually conducting himself better than she expected as of now.

"So what have you four been up to lately?" Yang asked the other team after taking a swig of orange juice.

"Nothing much aside from the usual!" Pyrrha answered. "Classes, cafeteria meals, practice, and everything in between. Our teamwork has been improving every day!"

"I feel we should be the ones asking you how things have been," Jaune remarked while chewing some of the sugary cereal. "We never really got to just hang out like this in a while, and you guys also spent a lot of time off-campus recently. We're interested in what was happening, especially with all the talks of a thwarted robbery going around the school…"

Pyrrha served herself another pancake before her bright, green eyes locked onto the somewhat uncomfortable faces of Blake and Ruby.

"Particularly you two," she pointed out. "It's hard to not notice that you've been rather discreet lately."

"I don't like people keeping secrets from me!" Nora said boisterously.

'_Says the one constantly scheming to prank her childhood friend,_' Ren thought to himself.

Blake's second set of ears slightly perked upright beneath her black bow from the sudden attention. Not only this, but she also thought she heard a noise from outside the open window. Taking a glimpse only to find nothing out of the ordinary, the girl hesitantly brought her focus back to the conversation at hand.

Ruby laughed awkwardly. "Hehe, about that… we were just… umm… sorting some things out within our team, while the two of us stopping a dust robbery with some friends just happened to be a bonus! That's all!"

Ruby was far from viewing her invitation to JNPR as a mistake, although all of these sudden questions were pretty unanticipated. Sure, her team may have been sort of awkward around the fellow team recently and basically absent during the whole brouhaha regarding Blake's identity, but she wasn't expecting all this to be such a matter of interest. Despite this, the small smiles on Team JNPR's faces showed they were nothing more than curious friends and not professional interrogators.

"That's not all," Blake spoke up to the surprise of the other seven.

Jaune was clearly confused. "What do you mean?"

It didn't take long for Yang to get the hint. It was evident that by those three words, Blake was saying she trusted her four friends enough for them to discover why Team RWBY had been acting the way they did. This was also probably the most opportune time for the secret to be revealed, since this was a casual meeting between easygoing people in what was probably the most private setting available. The blonde girl casually extended her hand toward Weiss.

"Would you mind explaining, Ice Queen?"

Weiss eyed her faunus teammate, who gave a single nod in response. The heiress was still hesitant to explain everything herself, but chances were that JNPR deserved to know sooner or later. Blake did look ready this time, so at least it was unlikely she'd run away again.

"I guess I'll keep it straightforward," Weiss started after a sigh. "Our teammate here is a faunus, and she was previously associated with the White Fang. She left the… organization… some time prior to her arrival here."

Team JNPR exchanged surprised looks with each other and the girl in question. All four were familiar with the faunus and their current position in society, although to varying degrees. It still caught them off-guard, however, that one of their close friends was actually among the species this whole time.

Nora was now obviously eager to learn more as she planted both her hands on the floor and leaned towards a startled Blake, knocking over the bottle of orange juice that Ruby stopped from spilling in a brief panic. "Oh, what kind of faunus? Chipmunk? Horse? Skunk? Sloth…?"

Blake addressed Nora's question once Ren pulled his teammate back to her spot.

"I'm a cat faunus. The bow on my head is meant to cover my other pair of ears."

"They're super adorable!" Ruby said, her sister nodding in agreement.

"They can be distinctly advantageous, too," Pyrrha added.

"I'm impressed you were able to conceal this for so long," Ren stated thoughtfully.

Blake glanced briefly at her reflection on the knife resting on her plate before speaking.

"I am as well, in all honesty. I didn't want to risk experiencing what would happen if everyone knew who I truly was, even at an inclusive school like this one. It's easy to make judgments, especially with everything the White Fang has done. Even my teammates didn't know, and it wasn't until I slipped on my words during a heated exchange with Weiss when they found out. I was simply afraid, and… I'm sorry for hiding this from you four, too."

Pyrrha, who was seated next to Blake in the circle, gently placed a hand on the faunus girl's shoulder. The latter didn't flinch, but she nervously avoided eye contact.

"It's alright, Blake," Pyrrha said with an understanding sympathy. "There's nothing to be sorry about. While I don't know what decisions you've made as part of the White Fang, many of which you probably regret now, I _do_ know that you had the strength and courage to leave. I'm glad you're here with us now, and you can trust us to keep this secret."

Jaune placed down his bowl of cereal to join in. "I've known some faunus who live in Shion village… they're all very nice and helpful. They're obviously not all regarded this way, as you've implied, and I hate seeing anyone mistreated because of some label. I can't speak for you or any faunus, but as someone who's been bullied before, I can tell you that Team JNPR won't stand for any bullying if others do find out about you!"

Jaune's teammates all showed their agreement with their leader's resolve, to which Blake finally looked at them and gave a small smile of gratitude. Of course she was internally scared of how the other team would react to the news, but the fact that they still saw her as a friend brought some relief. It was in this moment of acceptance that, unanticipated by the others, golden light started to shine from the blonde boy's body.

Pyrrha's astonishment quickly changed to excitement as she clapped her hands together. "Jaune, you're finally doing it! You're unlocking your Semblance!"

The team leader was just as shocked by this as everyone else, but he also displayed some fright as he looked at himself.

"No, this isn't right. I'm starting to feel sick…"

Everyone was so taken aback that they were now wondering if their vision was working properly. Yang and Ren soon noticed that they themselves were now covered in a golden radiance, one that was growing brighter by the second.

"What is going on here?" Yang asked, her voice slightly shaky from dizziness. "Did somebody sneak something into the breakfast?"

Weiss was somehow trying to brush off the light now beaming from her own arms. "There has to be some way to stop this!"

"DON'T LEAVE ME, REN!" Nora cried out while clasping onto her childhood friend, far too distraught to realize that she was also shimmering.

Ren was actually more annoyed than panicked in the girl's tight grip. "Squeezing the air out of me isn't going to help, Nora…"

In a matter of seconds, everyone in the room was experiencing the same nausea and dazzling brightness that began with JNPR's leader. Ruby was now holding desperately onto Yang in a fright, while Blake and Pyrrha were trying their utmost hardest to remain calm. The normal surroundings of the dorm room were being overcome by a nearly blinding fusion of gold and white colors. To make matters worse, the teens were unable to flee from their spots, since they now found it nearly impossible to move.

"I don't know what this golden glow is," Blake managed to say over her discomfort, "But I'm afraid it means danger…"

The others hoped with all their being that the girl's fears weren't right. They all desperately wanted this to end, but they dreaded to face whatever awaited them beyond this terrifying experience. Their senses were becoming more and more overwhelmed until they were gone, and only white remained.

In one final, dazzling display of light, the eight students vanished together from the dorm room. The only things left behind were an unfinished breakfast on the floor and an open window.


	3. Stranded

**Chapter 2: Stranded**

**RUBY**

The pure, blinding whiteness reached an intensity where it felt like it was burning into Ruby's eyes. The combined effect of this excruciating visual experience, along with growing queasiness, made it seem like death was the only possible end. It was at this point of agony where Ruby felt truly debilitated. She was unable to do anything, even react naturally to all the pain and discomfort. The only thing she was capable of was waiting for whatever followed.

What followed, however, wasn't death. At least it didn't fit any preconceived notion of how the ultimate end to one's life was believed to be. Nothing about all this was natural to begin with, but the way Ruby's senses were still processing her surroundings felt lifelike. The very physical discomfort was still present but now diminishing, despite the abnormal sensation of being suspended in nothingness. She still had sight like before, unable to see any of herself but identifying the color of the complete emptiness as pure white.

Just as before, the whiteness bore the effect of a brightness beyond anything imaginable. It was gradually replaced, however, by a familiar and less overwhelming radiance. The inescapable pain was slowly giving way to warmth. A soft, giving texture was forming itself and holding up Ruby's body. Her eyes, once overtaken by monotonous white, were witnessing the slow appearance of other hues: a disorderly, blurry arrangement of blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and a non-blinding white was now blending itself together.

It was actually an immense relief when a mere headache was the only irritation after the growing nausea. Contrary to all fears, the sensations felt were finally back to slightly being ones of normality. Not only that, but Ruby had regained her ability to form thoughts.

'_What… what happened?_' she asked herself silently.

Silver eyes blinked slowly as they adjusted to the light shining into them. All of the colors that emerged earlier had taken shape, creating a scene that would stun anyone after going through such dreadful, inexplicable suffering. Ruby's recovering vision was greeted by the beautiful start of a new day: the morning sun rising from a glistening ocean horizon in the distance. Much nearer, small waves foamed and made their way onto an expansive space of pale white sand. This sand is what Ruby now felt herself resting on, its fine texture currently acting as a source of comfort.

Not wanting to stay like this forever, though, the girl weakly rose from her belly and sat upright as soon as she possessed just enough strength to. She wavered for a second before using her arms to hold herself up, then proceeded to look around.

Ruby took in a much-needed breath of ocean air. '_Where am I…?_'

She apparently had been lying in the middle of a wide, seemingly unending beach. The water ahead of her was nearly transparent as more and more sunbeams cast themselves onto the wavy surface. The sand as far as she could see appeared to be undisturbed, and further inland behind her was a bunch of thick, green vegetation as wide as the beach itself.

As beautiful a morning as this was, there was no way any of this made sense. This had to be a dream that happened to feel unusually real. Ruby's mind couldn't put in the effort to think of any other explanation. Had she really fallen asleep in the middle of that breakfast amidst her team and friends? Yes, any day that wasn't the weekend was typically exhausting, but she couldn't remember being unbearably tired during the meal.

The only other possibility Ruby could contemplate at that moment was that she was somehow taken to this beach and left there. If she really did shine in golden light with everyone else in the dorm room before losing all connection with reality… she'd only be left with more questions now. Who would take her here and why? Not to mention how exactly this sudden transportation happened.

The black-and-red-haired girl was lost in her thinking. What even was this place? Where did her teammates and friends go? Wherever she happened to be now, she knew it wasn't the dorm room anymore. Ruby's knowledge of Remnant geography from her Beacon classes was imperfect but enough to possibly connect the tropical scenery with the southeast corner of Remnant. As for her friends… maybe they were left at different parts of this location? They could have also been with her before moving inland, which meant they somehow left her behind…

That scenario made Ruby shiver fearfully. An ocean breeze briefly took away the warmth of the morning sun. The girl felt oddly affected by the breeze, and she looked down at herself to see that she was completely unclothed. Ruby let out a loud squeak as she wrapped her arms around herself. Nobody else was on the beach, but the team leader still underwent a state of timid panic.

"Yang? Weiss? Blake?" she called out each name in the loudest voice she could muster.

The only sound heard was the waves gently rolling onto the shore.

Ruby was now on the verge of tears out of shame and isolation, hugging her legs into her chest as she sat there alone. Another soft wind blew the salty air past her face. This actually helped dry her eyes and give the girl a chance to refresh her mind. Calming herself was very difficult, but she realized it was necessary. What would Yang have done in a situation like this? After what felt like fifteen minutes, Ruby stood up and tried her best to ignore the dizziness as she slowly walked toward the ocean.

"At least the sand isn't super hot…" she muttered to herself.

Ruby was never one to object to swimming at any beach. Submerging herself in the water now, she felt like she was taken into a warm embrace with little noise to disturb the moment. Her spirits had lifted somewhat by the time she rose her head above the surface. Unfortunately, Ruby didn't have her favorite strawberry shampoo with her. Her hair was damp now, but at least it would take less time to dry than a head of hair like her sister's.

The younger sister walked the short distance back onto shore. "The others _have_ to be in that jungle somewhere," she quietly encouraged herself.

At least it was a reasonable guess that they were there. It was something to hope for… something to keep her going. Headmaster Ozpin had chosen her to be team leader, so it was time to act like one. Finding the rest of her team could finally be an accomplishment of hers they truly appreciate. On the topic of Ozpin, Ruby also hoped that he would quickly notice the sudden disappearance of two teams and do something.

Dawn was changing to early morning. As the sun was gradually rising higher, Ruby was at work in the sand. When she was finished, the girl brushed her hands together and took a second to admire the end result.

"Hopefully somebody will find this," she said, looking down at the massive letters she wrote in the sand.

'_IF YOU SEE THIS, PLEASE HELP. I AM STRANDED HERE, PROBABLY WITH OTHERS, TOO. JUST ASSUME THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. THANKS FOR READING!_'

Now the question was what to do next. A message to see for anyone whose flight path passed over her location was a good start, but she had to do something until that happened. Some fears were beginning to enter the young girl's mind, particularly if her team and friends were in danger. Blake did believe, after all, that danger was what all this would lead to, one way or another.

Ruby had a knack for making plans… or at least that's what Weiss often commented… so she had to formulate one now. Finding the others was the number one priority, more so than anything else. It even stood higher than how much she wanted to find anything to wear before she ran into anyone. She would also be happy and extremely relieved if the plan ended with her just waking up on the dorm room rug or in her bunk. Ruby narrowed her eyes at the line of jungle trees and other green thicket, knowing that this was where she had to go. Flourishing plants meant fresh water, shade, and maybe a food source that wasn't too hard to find. It was rather unlikely that there'd by any cookie trees there, but one could hope…

It was almost noon, and the sun was shining down through the rainforest canopy. Ruby Rose had been traversing through the vegetation for a while now, making many a stop to catch her breath, long for Beacon again, or pinch herself in an attempt to wake up from this strange situation. It was now even warmer out than it was in the dorm room before Yang opened the window, and the humidity didn't improve things at all. The girl had yet to hear or see any fresh water, and she'd try to get some of the coconuts from above if she had any tools aside from her bare hands. It was unfortunate that Beacon didn't teach any classes exclusively about survival skills in the wild, and Ruby didn't have her scroll to look anything useful up.

"Why is this happening…?" Ruby muttered weakly.

It was habitual for her to talk to herself whenever she felt nervous or lonely. In this case, it also made sense to add 'exhausted' and 'dejected' to the list of adjectives. The team leader dropped to her knees, trying her best to keep her drooping eyes open. So much time was spent worrying about the others, and it only just occurred to her that she herself needed to be saved just as much as they did. The lack of food and drink, plus the growing incline of the terrain, had a real effect on the jungle's lone explorer. If anything got worse, Ruby feared her chances of not making it out.

That's when she suddenly heard a rustle from a nearby bush.

The girl's head instantly perked up in a flash, her eyes now wide open. She was in a very vulnerable state, and the environment immediately surrounding her made for an easy ambush. The sunlight illuminated much of the area, but there were some spots concealed by the shadows.

"Oh no," Ruby breathed, looking around anxiously.

Throughout her time in this unfamiliar place, never once did Ruby consider the possibility of Grimm. The hours of worrying… which wasn't exactly a positive emotion… had caused any encounters with Grimm to somehow slip her mind completely. If this was all a dream, it was about to become a terrible nightmare. Ruby may have been confident enough to face Grimm like Death Stalkers and Nevermores in the past, but that was when she was wielding her trusty Crescent Rose. The huntress-in-training was awful at hand-to-hand combat, and she now missed her weapon almost as much as her team.

Ruby quickly looked above after hearing a disturbance in the thick mass of branches. Her breaths were sharp and her heart was racing. She knew that her best chance of surviving rested on her Semblance, which could be used for a quick getaway if the creatures of darkness gave an opening for her to flee through.

"Stay calm," Ruby shakily reassured herself. "You can do-"

She turned around to see a creature just steps away from her, causing the girl to let out a shriek and leap backwards. This creature was not a Grimm of any kind, however, but a monkey. Its thin multi-color fur, long tail, and curious face revealed it wasn't an immediate threat at all. The animal was joined from behind by two more of its kind, one of them casually standing on its hind legs for a rather funny sight. Ruby was returning their stare while covering herself, but soon remembered that animals had no concept of nudity like humans did. She recalled how content her family pet was to just roam around in his black and white fur, and the thought actually made her giggle slightly.

"Umm… hi!" Ruby, unsure of what to do, greeted as if she was meeting someone new.

The monkey in the front uttered a grunting sound to the other two before moving slightly closer. The human extended her hand out toward the animal in a benign gesture. The monkey simply stood there and scratched its small head. Domesticated dogs sure were easier to interact with than untamed wildlife. Ruby inched her way closer to the rainforest inhabitant, which reacted by producing a high-pitched yap and ran away on all fours. The monkey's companions both followed in the same direction, letting out a duet of animal-like shrieks.

Ruby's expression looked genuinely upset. "Wait! I won't hurt you!"

Having regained some of her energy from the encounter, the girl gave chase for what felt like five minutes. Roots, branches, and an array of plants slowed her down, but she was resolved to remain on the path. Maybe the monkeys could lead her to something edible… or just anything helpful. After pushing aside a large tropical leaf of some sort, Ruby stopped in her tracks. She had lost sight of the animals, but what she saw now was even more fascinating.

Ahead of her was a waterfall, probably around six bunk beds in height, filling a small, natural pool below with its rushing water. The cascading water was sending up mist as it poured into the pool, which in turn revealed a colorful rainbow. Several rock formations rose above the still water, seemingly making a path up to the waterfall's precipice.

"This is amazing…" Ruby muttered in disbelief.

Sights like this definitely weren't found at her home island of Patch, that's for sure. The team leader took mental note of this spot; it would be very important later on as a source of fresh water. For now, though, she had to find something to eat. She was lucky that her stomach didn't growl when she tried to communicate with the monkeys. Leaping from one chunk of rock to the next was a test of Ruby's strength, but she was still capable. She soon realized, however, that the smooth surface was wet and a lot slicker than she anticipated.

It was the final rock where Ruby slipped.

Just like how she was suspended in nothingness during her terrible experience earlier, the girl now found herself suspended in air. She was falling, her wide eyes looking up into the blue sky. Ruby would've braced for a painful landing, but she was a huntress-in-training. Time seemed to slow down as her instincts kicked in, and she prepared to burst into rose petals. Within those seconds, however, it was discovered that something was very wrong: Ruby's Semblance wasn't working. She was still helpless in the air, now panicking for the dozenth time that day. Had her Aura somehow diminished entirely without her knowing? Was this all some sort of bad dream after all?

Ruby's frantic questions were interrupted as she splashed back-first into the water. As luck would have it, the landing only hurt slightly in comparison to how an impact on some rocks would've felt. Ruby remained motionless underwater as she recovered. Unlike the ocean, this water was cold and very refreshing. The girl gasped as her head emerged from the surface, and her silver eyes caught sight of something resting on the edge of the pool.

"No way…"

It was an abandoned, makeshift shelter composed of natural materials like reeds and branches. Its size was small, but sitting inside it was a leather pack. Ruby's spirits were lifted instantly, and she quickly made her way out of the water to see what was inside the pack. A childlike smile formed on the girl's face when she found several gold coins, a small loaf of bread, some clothing, and a tropical fruit. Along with not being attacked by any Grimm, Ruby was glad that she fell down and discovered this shelter that was originally concealed from view. It made for a good place to return to whenever she'd need some rest or some cover from bad weather.

The tan pants were far too loose for the girl to wear, so she used the oversized white shirt and leather belt to make a tunic of sorts. Some bread and doses of fresh water revitalized her greatly, enough that she felt more than ready to continue with her plan.

"Thank you to whoever left this behind!" Ruby said gratefully. "Now to find the others!"

The rainforest canopy would serve as a good vantage point to survey the area, if not locate where her teammates and friends went. A determined Ruby left her claimed shelter at the pool and returned to the thick vegetation of the jungle not too far away. It only took her a couple minutes to find a tall, sturdy tree that didn't look very difficult to climb. She wasn't gifted with long, robust limbs for climbing, but Ruby did possess some experience. Sometimes her sister would challenge her to climb smaller trees near the family house, back when the two siblings were much younger.

Ruby did still have questions as she began her ascent. Where on Remnant was she? More importantly, why did her Semblance fail when it did? Making her way from branch to branch, she was growing more hopeful that she'd eventually find the answers. The team leader was treated to a breathtaking view when she finally reached the top: the vast ocean was below, while three tree-coated mountains stood together in the distance behind her. Some colorful birds flew past Ruby toward the late afternoon sun. A gust of cool wind rustled her hair and almost made the treetop feel alive as it swayed back and forth. There was no sign of anyone else, but this didn't bother her… she would resume her search after a night of rest.

What Ruby also failed to spot was a single speck slowly approaching on the watery horizon.

**JAUNE**

When Jaune Arc's consciousness gradually returned to him, two surmised thoughts entered his disoriented mind: either he was right and the awful occurrence earlier had no connection to a Semblance… or his Semblance happened to be unlike anything he ever imagined. It also would be a very undesirable one for that matter, since it would've been the cause of the inscrutable chaos he and his seven friends just underwent. Even the term 'inscrutable' was a mild way of describing the experience. Jaune was afraid the sheer amount of white overtaking his vision would've rendered him blind forever, and the severe queasiness would've ended up killing him if he had not miraculously awakened. Being bullied by Cardin for the rest of his time at Beacon sounded far more tolerable than the suffering he recently went through.

Jaune, his vision now processing that he was in some sort of dimly lit room, hoped that all this was nothing more than a dream. Waking up in JNPR's dorm room would've ended his uneasiness; he eventually felt that he wasn't lying on a bed, however, but on a cold, hard steel floor. The entire room was perfectly square in shape, very spacious, and was a monotonous grey apart from neon green lights aligned on the walls. The fact that there were no windows meant that Jaune's blue eyes required at least a minute to adjust to the minimal lighting.

The boy's physical state reached a point fairly closer to normal around the same time as his eyesight, so then he awkwardly rose to his feet. The sudden rush to the head nearly caused him to fall over, but he saved himself by getting some solid footing. This was when he noticed he wasn't wearing shoes, after which he saw that he wasn't wearing anything at all. Jaune yelped and looked around frantically. Now that his vision was more accustomed to the dark, what he first saw as gaps between the wall lights now appeared to be around a dozen steel pods, all of them standing perfectly upright. There were also some arranged symmetrically in the center of the large room.

Desperate to find anything to cover himself, the blonde stumbled to the nearest pod. It was his hope that these rather large capsules would contain any kind of attire. Not only was this all for the sake of finding anything to wear, but the cold air kept within the room was beginning to be felt. Now that Jaune reached a pod, which stood about a foot higher than he did, he pressed his body against the glass surface of the front to peer inside. The interior was too dark to really see the pod's contents.

"Come on…" was all Jaune could mutter to himself in his anxious state.

He didn't have to wait for long, though, since the inside of the capsule suddenly flashed alight with the mechanism itself humming loudly. Some loose orange clothes were actually visible in the pod… but they were being worn by someone. Jaune was now staring face-to-face at an incapacitated man, one who appeared to be completely still with closed eyes and pale skin.

The boy yelped for the second time and fell backwards, once again sitting on the hard floor. Some readings of what looked to be vitals appeared on the glass of the pod. An alarm was also now evidently set off, as four sirens cast their red light into the space from above with a blaring wail resounding in Jaune's head. He quickly stood back up, knowing full well he had to somehow find a way out before things got any worse. The lack of windows meant there was no escape route, however, with the only possible option being a large airlock door that was shut behind him.

The situation did in fact get worse when this door quickly slid open, letting a bright light shine into the previously dark room. Jaune had no choice but to shield his eyes and squint at whatever was beyond the door. The sight was enough to send the teen into another panic: four people with concealed faces and advanced-looking equipment stood in the light with rifles trained on him.

"Please!" Jaune begged without thinking. "All I wanted was some clothes!"

The four individuals, who clearly appeared to be guards, didn't shoot. It would've been pretty unreasonable if they found the boy standing before them to be an immediate threat. One of them started speaking into his helmet.

"It's a human male, unarmed," he said, still aiming his gun. "Do we execute? Yes, sir."

Jaune's eyes widened as he saw the guard's finger wrap around the trigger. With nothing to protect himself except his Aura, it wouldn't take long to end either this horrible nightmare or his life. He pleaded with all his being that it wasn't the latter.

"No!" the teen shouted as he braced for the worst.

The guard pulled the trigger and the rifle instantly responded by shooting an array of glowing red rings. Jaune tried his best to dodge, but the rings grew in size and encompassed his body. He felt himself collapse to the floor, and his vision quickly faded away into darkness.

Time seemed to pass slowly in that period of darkness, but eventually Jaune was able to reopen his eyes. It shouldn't have been surprising that he was in another dark room, this one being much smaller with a single light at the middle of the ceiling. Much to the boy's relief, not only was he still alive, but losing consciousness paled in comparison to the awful experience that was first believed to be his unlocked Semblance. He also saw that he was finally wearing clothes… a loose indigo jumpsuit… after lowering his head slightly.

Not everything was better, though. Both of his arms were restrained onto the armrests of the metal chair on which he was seated. He could also feel some sort of hard object around his head. A steel table was directly in front of him, and beyond that was a man. His attire was similar to the guards Jaune had encountered, but with less padded armor and a badge on his left shoulder. He had short, curly black hair and the early stages of a beard. Another man, one clad in a thin white coat instead of armor, stood further away in the back of the room.

"Where am I?" Jaune asked, taking in his surroundings.

"That's not important," the bearded man stated in a voice that was rather intimidating. "The only thing that matters is that you cooperate."

Jaune was clearly confused. "Huh…?"

The man slowly leaned over the teen, both hands planted onto the table and brows furrowed. "You will answer all of my questions truthfully and accurately. If you don't, I _will_ find out. My decision to have you stunned instead of shot does not mean I'm unwilling to have you put down here and now."

"Is all this some kind of prank?" the blonde asked, not wanting to grasp the situation. "Are you here, Cardin? Did you take any of my friends?"

The interrogator drew a pistol from his side and placed it on the table. Jaune gulped loudly.

"Does this look like a prank? Instead of spouting nonsense, tell me this… who do you work for?"

The boy hesitated while trying to formulate a response. "I… I'm a student at Beacon Academy. I don't work for them, but I'm training to become a huntsman. I'm not a spy… I promise!"

The man's cold eyes started straight into Jaune's, and his expression was completely unamused. He kept this going for several seconds before turning to the third person in the room. This man was looking down at what appeared to be an electronic notepad, out of which a wire led to where Jaune was sitting. He gave a single nod to the interrogator, who then redirected his attention to the teen.

"How did you get here?"

Jaune tried to give a detailed explanation of what exactly happened but stumbled over his words multiple times. He also left out the fact that his friends went through the same thing; it wasn't a lie per se, and he couldn't risk them being caught by these people… if they hadn't already been. The bearded man looked back to the coated one, who gave another nod.

Several more questions were asked, and Jaune could do nothing but sit and answer. This man kept a straight, disciplined face the whole time, so it was impossible for the boy to notice if his responses were taken well or not. Furthermore, for each question he was asked, Jaune wanted to match with a question of his own. Even though this interrogation likely proved otherwise, was he deliberately kidnapped? Were his friends in custody? Where even was he now?

The man cleared his throat. "And this planet of yours… 'Remnant', as you call it… has never possessed technology capable of space exploration?"

Jaune had a blank expression. This was a strange turn for the interrogation to take, considering the topics asked about previously. How did the things he say lead to this? It wasn't his place to ask questions, though, so instead he searched his brain for any mental notes he took from all of the lectures on Dust.

"Well… the energy form on Remnant kinda has limitations," the teen explained, instinctively trying to scratch the back of his head before remembering his arms were cuffed. "Attempts were made to cross the atmosphere if I remember correctly, but the energy powering them would always die out."

The pressure Jaune felt now was even more intense than facing a problem in an exam. Just like with the other answers, however, the interrogator was given a nod from the coated individual after a glance over the notepad.

"What is this form of energy you mentioned?"

The blonde was about to respond, but he was interrupted when a brief beeping sound was heard from the man standing over him. He raised his left wrist up to his unshaven chin, and Jaune saw a small gauntlet that was apparently the source of the alert.

"What is it?" the man spoke into the device.

"Captain Bridges," a male voice replied. "You and the detainee are to report to the office ASAP. Major Tarin would like to see him personally."

The interrogator, who was apparently named Bridges, finally revealed an expression of slight annoyance as he holstered his pistol and turned to face the man behind him. "Release him and leave us," he ordered.

His companion was quick to comply, tapping his gloved finger once on the notepad before rushing over to Jaune. The boy felt the device around his head be raised up, resulting in a relieving feeling of decompression. His arms were then uncuffed from the seat and free to move about. The moment of freedom was quickly cut short, however, when Bridges placed a different set of cuffs around the now-dejected teen's wrists once he rose to his feet.

"Follow me," the captain told him while gesturing to the open doorway with his head.

Four guards joined the two as soon as they exited the dark, compact room. Jaune found himself in a wide, well-lit hall that he discovered to be a channel of busy activity. Those passing by wore either indigo padded armor or white coats, and they gave no notice to the small escort. Their faces looked completely occupied as they moved down the hall in both directions. Jaune still had no idea where he was as he looked around, making sure to keep in pace with the captain walking beside him.

The shape of the hall looked to change into a circular one further ahead. The purely white walls and ceiling also appeared to be replaced by a thick layer of glass at the same point, letting in enough light that gave the teen the impression that it was nighttime outside. Once the group reached that part of the hall, Jaune looked through the glass around him to hopefully figure out where he was.

The sight instantly blew his mind.

The hall was elevated, and below was what the boy could only process to be a bustling space city. Glowing buildings of all sizes illuminated the scene, the taller ones rising upwards among large, rocky spires. Centers of city activity were all contained in massive bubbles on the ground, and all kinds of hovering vehicles to and from those places. Plenty of bright stars decorated the black sky, and a large planet with blue and white swirls could be seen above. The boy's mind was in utter disbelief, but now Captain Bridges' question about space exploration made some sense. The scene ended when the glass walkway once again changed to a plain white hall.

This all had to be some realistic dream. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, then there was no way Jaune was still on Remnant. He was now actually more clueless regarding his location, and how he even got here in the first place. The idea of his friends being stuck in the same predicament made the teen feel nervous along with his bewilderment. Jaune was startled when he heard a door close shut behind him; in his awe, he only just realized he was now standing in the office. The captain stood to attention and gave a salute to the person at the large desk before walking to stand beside it.

The office was ample in size… fairly bigger than some of the teachers' offices back at Beacon. The interior was clean and orderly with a very emphatic amount of white. A large, blank screen was spread across the wall behind the desk, and a large flag was draped to the right. It was indigo with a white star and intricate golden crest on the upper left corner.

"So this is the one who triggered the alarm?"

Jaune fixed his vision from the flag to the one who had just spoken. Major Tarin was still at the desk, grinning and reclining on the cushioned steel chair. The major's look didn't match Jaune's expectations: she was thin yet sturdy in build, with short blue hair that ran down to the top of her neck. Her age seemed to fall within the range of some of the boy's older sisters. The jumpsuit she was wearing matched the one worn by Captain Bridges, but her left shoulder bore the star and crest rather than a mere badge.

"It's not often a naked man is randomly found in the cryoprison… in fact, you're the only case we have."

Jaune felt a shiver as he recalled that situation. '_So that's what that room was…_'

"The whole occurrence intrigued me enough to review both the security feed and the recorded interrogation," Tarin continued. "As interesting as they were, I still wanted to hear more about _this_ from the perpetrator himself."

As if on cue, the large screen suddenly turned on the reveal the moment when Jaune first appeared out of nowhere in a bright golden flash.

"I… I don't need to see that!" Jaune said awkwardly, looking away to hide his blush.

The major let out an amused laugh before turning the screen back off with a small remote. It took a few seconds for the blonde to recover himself emotionally.

"Where am I?" he asked in an attempt to put that moment behind.

Bridges stomped his boot down. "You'll only ask questions when-!"

"It's alright," Tarin cut in, holding out her arm in front of the captain. "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Major Tarin, the one in charge of Celestia Nova, that being the sole populated region on Moon D3FNS. We're distant from any inhabitable planet, which is why the residents here will often refer to this place as the Stranded Colony."

"Stranded Colony…?" Jaune asked, unable to recall any of this from his classes.

"It may sound bad, but we're getting by," Tarin said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, I'd find it greatly beneficial if I had the chance to ask you some questions myself. Don't worry, I'll start simple: what's your name?"

"Jaune Arc," the boy responded.

He knew that the addition of '_short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it_' would've been a very poor choice in his current position. He could sense the major's purple eyes scan over him, though, and it caused him to hold back a wince of discomfort.

Tarin rose to her feet, a small smile forming on her face. "So, Jaune, if you don't mind confirming a speculation for me… do you have any friends? I'm just uncertain if anyone else went through the same… mysterious disappearance… that you did."

The intensity of her stare only added to the pressure that Jaune was feeling. To him, the smile wasn't enough to keep any intent hidden. Not only was he a huntsman-in-training, but he was also a team leader; it was his duty to keep his friends out of danger to the best of his ability, so he had to choose his words wisely. He could simply twist the truth, but what if they caught both his friends and his lie? What would happen to him then?

Without a doubt, this interrogation made him feel even more uncomfortable than the first.


End file.
